Cities Issue Call-to-Action to Resolve Flint Water Crises

Over 2,000 city leaders passed a resolution calling for federal support for Flint, Michigan, and for water infrastructure nationwide.
Cities Issue Call-to-Action to Resolve Flint Water Crises

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The National League of Cities passed a resolution March 8 that urges Congress to provide direct assistance to Flint, Michigan, asks the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to resolve the drinking water crisis, and calls on the federal government to support economic recovery in the city.

NLC is also calling on Congress to support robust funding for all water infrastructure mechanisms, including the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund programs and the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act.

"The true tragedy is that the families — and children — impacted by the lead contamination in Flint will endure long-term education and mental health impacts," says NLC President Melodee Colbert-Kean of Joplin, Missouri. "The federal government must make a long-term commitment to help these families with the challenges that lie ahead."

According to the NLC, access to clean drinking water is fundamental for the health and well-being of America's communities and families.

"The Flint drinking water crisis is unconscionable and unacceptable," says NLC CEO and Executive Director Clarence E. Anthony. "Cites stand in solidarity with Flint, and the National League of Cities stands united with all American cities in the need to update our nation's deteriorating water infrastructure. We must invest in the infrastructure our communities depend on. We need the federal government to step up and work with cities to make sure there will never again be another disaster like in Flint."

There is an urgent need to invest in our aging water infrastructure nationwide, the NLC says. The EPA estimates the U.S. water infrastructure capital needs to be approximately $720 billion over the next 20 years.

NLC RESOLUTION

Supporting the City of Flint, Michigan, and Calling for Federal Support

WHEREAS, the City of Flint, Michigan, is experiencing a drinking water crisis whereby residents have been poisoned by lead-contaminated drinking water; and

WHEREAS, the elevated blood lead level was discovered in many Flint children after the city's water source was switched to the Flint River by the state-appointed emergency manager;

WHEREAS, lead can have permanent and long-term effects on mental health, IQ and development, particularly in infants and children; and

WHEREAS, studies have linked childhood lead poisoning to an increase in crime rates; and

WHEREAS, a contributing factor to the drinking water crisis is the city's aging infrastructure and the lack of investment in infrastructure and the community; and

WHEREAS, Flint, Michigan, is the latest city to experience high levels of lead in its drinking water — in the early 2000s, the District of Columbia experienced a similar crisis, as have many other cities; and

WHEREAS, access to clean drinking water is fundamental to the health and well-being of America's communities and families; and

WHEREAS, there is a need to invest in our water infrastructure nationwide; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates the nation's water infrastructure capital needs over the next 20 years to be approximately $720 billion in total; the American Society for Civil Engineers estimates the needed investment for water infrastructure to be $1.3 trillion over the next 20-25 years; and other estimates put the cost at more than $4 trillion to maintain and build a 21st century water system that addresses climate change impacts.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National League of Cities (NLC) calls on Congress to provide direct assistance to the City of Flint, Michigan, and EPA and the federal government to work directly with local officials, for as long as necessary, to resolve the drinking water crisis through the provision of safe drinking water and to support economic recovery; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NLC calls on Congress and the administration to provide long-term support for the families affected by lead drinking water contamination in Flint and nationwide, including in the areas of education and mental health; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NLC calls on Congress and the administration to support robust funding for all water infrastructure funding mechanisms, including the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund programs and the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NLC calls on Congress and the administration to support other mechanisms of infrastructure funding, including protecting the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds.



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